In this recent post, I discussed the roots of Pakistans various combatant parties. Mr Raman knows a lot more than I do, and if you're interested in the worlds hottest current hotspot, its worth a read.

A couple of things struck me- there is never an effort on the part of the big media organisations to make distinctions between the various groups. The word 'Taliban' is used as a catch-all, despite the very important distinction between groups which are basically deniable proxies of the Pakistan government (Pakhtu Neo Taliban, Punjabi LET) and the rest, which to some extent are at war with it.

The other thing which I found odd- what was the Red Mosque doing full of Pakhtu children? Islamabad is not in a Pakhtun area. Branch office? And I guess the fact that the place was full of weapons and that weapons training was going on in the Red Mosque didn't make the management suspect that maybe the Pakistani government would eventually tire of having this armed camp just up the street from Parliament? I really truly do not understand the dynamics of Pakistani society.